After the War
by BlueandBrownEyes
Summary: The war is over, but the memories are still there (WWII AU)
1. Chapter 1

**_Note: Long time reader, first time writer...we'll see how this goes._**

Natasha never thought that she would be living in the middle of Iowa. But she needed a job and Betty said that she could use another nurse, and so here she was. She didn't think that it would be so hard to find a job, especially since she was a very good nurse who worked overseas during the war. But apparently none of her skills or her experience mattered to anyone. All that mattered was where she were born and anyone who had a connection to Russia was considered a threat. She had been turned down so many times and was grateful when she received the letter from Betty. Betty was a nurse who worked with Natasha during the war. They had become close friends over the years and they still kept in touch even after the war ended. So when Natasha stepped off the train and saw her friend she immediately ran and hugged her.

"Oh, it's good to see you again Natasha," said Betty.

"Yes it's been too long." Natasha replied. Both women began to walk out of the train station when Natasha turned and said, "Betty I really have to thank you for giving me this job. I really was running out of options."

"Trust me, Bruce and I could use all of the help we can get," said Betty. "Things have been getting hectic. We have been getting more and more patients recently and there was a terrible storm a few days ago that destroyed some of the roof of the office and…uh" she suddenly paused. Natasha turned and looked at her.

"Betty, what is it?"

"I…uh…I'm pregnant." Betty smiled softly.

"Oh Betty that's wonderful news! Have you told Bruce yet?"

Natasha had never met Bruce before but Betty had talked about him. They had met while he was studying to become a doctor and she was studying to be a nurse and they both fell in love. After they were married Betty went to Europe to be a nurse during the war while Bruce stayed at home. He was never drafted because he had some anger problems and so he wasn't qualified to go and fight.

 _"I don't even know how to describe it," Betty said. "He would just completely lose it. Sometimes it felt like he was a completely different person."_

 _"And that never scared you?" Natasha asked._

 _"It did at first. But he has gotten much better at controlling it. And I know I can calm him down if it gets too bad." She replied._

Natasha snapped out of her memory when she realized that Betty was talking to her again. "I know a place where you can stay. A free room had just opened up at an apartment complex right by the office. A man named Mr. Coulson owns it and he's very nice."

"Oh that sounds great I'll go see if I can meet him later today." Natasha said.

"Yes but I want to show you the office today. I know it will look bad but Bruce says he's getting someone to fix the roof."

Betty was right, the office did look like a mess but Natasha didn't really care because she finally had a job and she knew that it would get fixed eventually. Bruce was a very nice man and she could see why Betty loved him so much. They all walked around the office showing Natasha all of the different rooms when someone knocked on the door. Bruce opened the door and another man walked in.

"Clint! It's good to see you again. Are you doing well?" Bruce asked. Natasha suddenly looked up. She remembered a man in the hospital named Clint. But that was just a coincidence. There were probably many men who had that name.

"Everything's been fine, Dr. Banner." The man replied. "I should be able to fix the roof in a couple of weeks. It shouldn't take too…" he stopped when he saw Natasha. She stared back at him and was overcome with the memories of when she first met him.

 _Natasha was completely exhausted. It felt like the battle was never going to end. She was doing her best to take care of the soldiers but there were so many of them and so few supplies. She had just finished wrapping another wound when a new soldier had been carried in. He had a large gash on his forehead and his head was dripping with blood. She learned that there was an attack and he had been too close to the explosion. He didn't look good. There was blood everywhere and Natasha didn't think he would live to see tomorrow. But enough men had died tonight. She didn't think she could handle seeing anymore. So she rolled up her sleeves and did what she did best._

"Do you two know each other?" Betty asked. Natasha turned and looked at her friend. She hadn't realized how long she had been staring at him.

"I…I was injured during the war," Clint said. "Wasn't paying attention and go too close to a grenade. That was how I lost most of my hearing. Natasha was the nurse when I was brought to the tent. She…she save my life."

Betty looked shocked. "You were in our tent? I never even noticed."

"Well we didn't know each other very well back then," said Clint. "And there were a lot of men there. You were probably busy helping someone else."

Natasha was still too shocked to say anything. They were all expecting her to say something but her throat closed up whenever Clint looked at her. Thankfully, Bruce saw that she was struggling and said that it was getting late and that they should all head home. But before she left, Clint walked over to her and said, "It's good to see you again Tasha."

"You too," she whispered back. She took a deep breath after he left. She couldn't be wasting time thinking about some solider. Especially if she was starting a brand new job the next day. So she walked outside and looked around at her new home, wondering what this small place would hold. It already had a couple of surprises. Who knows what could happen next.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I CAN'T HEAR! I CAN'T HEAR!"_

 _"Shhh…shhh its okay. You're okay." She put his hands on his face, trying to get him to calm down. He had been thrashing and screaming the whole night and if he didn't stop soon he was going to hurt himself. She sat down on the side of his cot and looked down at him._

 _"Hey, hey just look at me." Said Natasha. He finally looked up at her and seemed shocked, like he hadn't realized she had been by him this whole time. She started to run her hands through his hair and continued to whisper to him. Even though he couldn't hear her and even though he was clearly not okay, he slowly started to relax into her touch. Soon he was fast asleep, and Natasha found herself staying at his side for much longer than she originally intended to._

The first few weeks working at the office had been very busy, but Natasha didn't really care. It felt good to be working again. Betty was right, there were many new patients and it didn't help that Bruce now knew about the baby and was watching Betty like a hawk.

"If you need a break I'm sure Natasha and I will manage just fine," he said to her after a busy morning.

"Bruce calm down, I'm fine. There are people here who need more help than I do." Betty replied.

It also didn't help that Clint was there every day working on the roof. He would always smile at Natasha and tell her good morning and it made her heart flutter every time. It annoyed her at how much he affected her. She needs to be taking care of patients, not thinking about some boy and his smile.

Thankfully, she was able to get through the day when Betty walked over to her and said, "Bruce and I were wondering if you would like to join us for dinner."

"Yeah that sounds like fun." Natasha replied. She hadn't really had the chance to go out since she moved here and she wanted to explore the town a little more.

"That's great! Oh and Clint you should come to. It'll be a good chance to catch up." Betty said. Natasha turned around and saw that he had been standing behind her during their conversation.

"Oh thank you Betty that's very kind of you," he said.

"No problem Clint. I'll go lock up and then we can head out." She replied.

The four of them walked out and headed to a restaurant a few blocks away. It was a small brick building with a simple sign at the top. Natasha looked up to read the sign.

"Thor's? That's an interesting name for a restaurant." she said.

"It's also the name of the guy who owns it," Clint said. "Well, actually I don't really know what his real name is. Everyone just calls him Thor."

They walked in and sat down at a booth with Betty and Bruce on one side and Natasha and Clint on the other. He kept brushing his knees against hers and she needed to distract herself from it or she would go crazy.

"Banners! Barton! It is wonderful to see you all again!" A large man with long blond hair walked over to their table. "Ah! Who is your friend?" he asked. Natasha was shocked. This man looked like he was a football player, not a restaurant owner.

"Thor, this is Natasha," said Bruce. "She moved her a few weeks ago."

"Nice to meet you! I hope everyone has been treating you well!" said Thor.

"It's been great so far. I've been pretty busy though so I haven't been able to see very much of this place." Said Natasha.

"Well I hope you'll find the time. I would recommend seeing the library. It is truly a wonderful place to visit." Thor said.

Clint chuckled. "Yeah that's just cause he likes to go see the librarian," he whispered to Natasha.

They spent the rest of the night eating and exchanging stories and it was probably the most fun Natasha had in a long time. She was a little upset when she realized how late it was getting and Bruce and Betty were getting ready go home. Once they left, Clint walked up to her and asked, "Could I…would it be alright if I walked you home?"

"Yes, thank you that's very kind of you." Natasha said. He smiled at her again and offered his hand. They walked out and she couldn't stop thinking about how warm and rough his hands were. And then she was thinking about how his hands would feel in other places. But then she suddenly snapped out of it and hoped that her face wasn't as red as it felt.

"Can I ask you something?" said Clint.

"What is it?" asked Natasha.

"Why…why are you here? And I don't mean that in a bad way or anything. I mean I love having you here. But you were one of the best nurses I've ever seen. What the hell are you doing in the middle of Iowa?"

Natasha sighed, trying to think of what was the best way to tell him. "I was born in Russia. I lived there for a few years until all of the fighting started and my parents found a way to get us to the US. No one here seems to like Russians right now. They think I'm some kind of spy who's going to kill them or something. I couldn't get a job anywhere until Betty was kind enough to offer me one."

"I'm sorry so many people have treated you so badly," said Clint, giving her had a gentle squeeze.

"Well what about you?" Natasha asked. "Why are you in the middle of Iowa?

"Oh I was born here." Clint replied. "My family's farm is here. After the war I didn't really have anywhere else to go. So I came back here and started seeing Dr. Banner for my ears."

"You're hearing has improved a lot."

"Yeah he's helped a lot. It'll never be the same again but it has gotten better."

When they arrived at her apartment he told her goodnight and kissed her on the cheek. Natasha felt like she was floating on a cloud back to her room and fell back on her bed. She fell asleep dreaming about warm hands and soft smiles.


	3. Chapter 3

_After that night he didn't talk for days. Natasha assumed that he was still in shock from everything. But she didn't have time to think about him. More and more soldiers were coming in covered in blood and needing stiches. But she still worried about him. She even tried to talk to him a couple times, but it never worked. He would just stare through her like she was a ghost. So after one long night she found some papers and a pen, and that gave her and idea. She walked over to his bed, writing quickly on the paper before showing it to him. She wrote, "I brought you some paper. I thought it might make things a little easier." His expression didn't change. He just kept staring._

 _"Well," Natasha thought. "At least I tried." She placed the paper and pen by his bedside. She was getting ready to leave when he suddenly grabbed her hand. She turned back around, a little shocked. This was probably the most he's moved in days. She looked in his eyes and realized that he was finally looking back at her._

 _"Thank you," he whispered._

Natasha wasn't having a very good day. She had nightmares all throughout the week and so she was exhausted. It wasn't anything new. She had been having them ever since the war ended. It would always start in the tent and it would end with some young man dying and it would be her fault. Sometimes Clint was the one who died. Those dreams were always the worst ones. She thought about asking Betty if she had any nightmares like this. But Natasha didn't want to bother her. Betty had enough on her plate right now. Also, Clint had finished working on the roof so she barely saw him anymore. And to top it all off she overheard a rather rude conversation between Mr. Coulson and an older man who lived in the apartment complex.

"Mr. Coulson, you need to get rid of her. She can't be trusted. We do not know what her real agenda is." The older man said.

"Mr. Pierce, I can understand why you are concerned but there is nothing to worry about. Ms. Romanoff is a wonderful young woman. She hasn't lived in Russia for years and she even helped us defeat Germany by being a nurse during the war." Mr. Coulson replied calmly. His comment made Natasha smile. She knew there was a reason why she liked him.

"Yes, but Russia also helped us defeat the Germans during the war," said Mr. Pierce. "But the war is now over, Mr. Coulson. Tell me, where do you think her allegiance lies?"

Natasha had heard enough and decided she needed some fresh air or else she was going to punch this Mr. Pierce in the nose. She walked outside and headed to the library. She had been thinking about visiting ever since Thor had suggested it, but never had the time until now. When she arrived, she headed straight to the language section. Natasha always had a love for languages. Ever since she had first learned English, she wanted to learn as much as she possibly could. She was walking along the aisle, looking at all of the different books when an idea formed in her head. She looked around some more, but could not find what she was searching for. So she quickly headed over to the front desk where a small woman with light brown hair was reading a book.

"Excuse me," Natasha asked. The other woman looked up. "Do you happen to have any books on sign language?"

"I'm not sure," the other woman replied. "We might have something in the back. Here, follow me." They both walked over to the back when the small woman looked at her and asked, "You're Natasha, right? Thor told me about you. My name is Jane. It's nice to meet you."

This must be the librarian Clint was talking about. It nearly made Natasha laugh to think about how such a large man like Thor would be with such a petite woman. But she seemed very nice and if she made Thor happy, then Natasha wasn't going to question it. Jane picked up an old book and handed it to Natasha. "Is this what you're looking for?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you so much."

Natasha didn't know very much about sign language. She had heard about the term a few times before, but she never really thought about it until now. Even though Clint's hearing was better, it was never going to be the same ever again and it must get annoying trying to read everyone's lips. Now she could communicate with him in a completely new way. The thought made her smile. It was almost like learning some sort of secret language.

Natasha thanked Jane once again before heading off. When she arrived back in her room, she spent the rest of the night reading her new book, trying to place her hands in the same positions as the pictures. She decided that the day had ended much better than it began.


	4. Chapter 4

_They continued to "speak" to each other. When it was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep they would use the paper to talk to one another. She learned that his name was Clint and that he joined the army because he didn't know what else to do with his life. She told him her name was Natasha and that she became a nurse because she wanted to do something good in her life. Their conversations became her favorite part of the day. They would talk for hours about anything. Well, anything but the war. For a little while they could forget that they were in a hospital tent, they were just two normal people having a conversation. But then the sun would come up and they had to get back to reality._

 _This went on for days until one night Natasha walked over to his bed and found it empty. She walked around confused, trying to figure out if he had been moved to a different bed. She decided to go see if Betty knew anything._

 _"Betty do you know what happened to the deaf man who was in that bed?" Natasha asked pointing to Clint's bed._

 _"They were moving a few patients to a different hospital. Somewhere in England, I think? Why are you asking?"_

 _"No reason," Natasha said a little too quickly. Betty looked a little suspicious but there was no time to think about that now. Not when there was a war going on._

A loud crash woke Natasha up from her dream. She ran downstairs to see what had happened and saw that everyone in the lobby was very calm. Like they had no reaction to what had just happened.

"Mr. Coulson," said Natasha as she walked over to him. "What happened? What was that noise?"

"Oh that was just Mr. Stark with one of his new inventions."

"Who?"

"I'm surprised you haven't seen him yet. Or heard him." Mr. Coulson replied looking a little annoyed. "He owns a weapons shop nearby. Lots of people like to hunt out here. But he also likes to make his own stuff. Most of us just are used to the explosions by now."

Natasha decided that she needed to meet this man herself so she headed over to the shop and heard to voices bickering from behind the building. She was shocked to find Clint of all people holding a bow yelling at a man with dark hair and a goatee.

"You're lucky Pepper wasn't here to see this! I think she might actually kill you when she finds out."

"Oh calm down Clint. So I used a little bit too much gun powder. No one got hurt and nothing got destroyed. Honestly I would consider this…hey who are you?" the other man asked when he saw that Natasha was right by them.

Clint turned around quickly and a smile appeared on his face when he saw her. "Tasha! It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Clint. I heard the noise and came to see what was going on."

"Tony wanted me to try these new arrows he made. Turns out they're a little more dangerous than he thought."

Tony continued to stare at her like he knew her from somewhere. Then all of a sudden his expression changed like the realization hit him. "Oh my God you're the nurse!" he shouted.

Natasha was a little confused by his statement. "Yes, I work with Dr. Banner."

"No, that's not what I mean." Tony replied. "You were the nurse who took care of him during the war. My God! He wouldn't shut up about you."

Natasha looked at Clint and saw that his cheeks was bright red. "Well," Clint responded. "I was moved to a different hospital in England and…uh…I only knew your name so – I asked a few people there if they knew you."

"A few? He practically asked the entire staff trying to find you," said Tony.

"Were you in that hospital too?" Natasha asked.

"Yes I was," Tony said. "He got a grenade to the head and I got one to the chest." He pulled his shirt up to reveal a circular shaped scar in the middle of his chest. "After the war ended I decided I needed to move away from the city so I came here."

"Tony!" a new voice had appeared. All three of them turned around and saw a red-headed woman staring crossly at them. "What on earth did you do this time? And why are you dragging other people into this?"

"Well, looks like I have to go." Tony replied. "I'll see you later. Make sure you don't lose her again, Clint." He walked off back into his building.

"He was exaggerating" Clint said, his face still a little red. "He likes to think that he's actually funny."

"Right," Natasha said. "I'm sorry but I have to ask, where did you learn to fire a bow?"

"I learned when I was younger. I was in the circus for a few years and that was my act."

"You were in the circus?"

"Yes ma'am I was." Clint replied.

"Huh. I keep forgetting that I barely know anything about you."

"Well why don't you come have dinner at my place tonight around seven? I could answer any questions you have."

Now it was Natasha who was blushing. She smiled at him and said, "Alright. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Natasha arrived at Clint's house later that night and brought her book with her. She thought that maybe she could show it to him and maybe he would want to learn sign language with her. Dinner was wonderful and Clint kept telling her stories about him and his brother and all the trouble they got into at the circus. She told him about the adventures she had at nursing school. They weren't nearly as interesting as his stories, but he seemed interested in them so that was enough. She saw how happy these memories made him and how much he loved his brother.

"So where does your brother live?" she asked later that night when they were sitting on his couch.

His smile suddenly faltered and she realized that that was the wrong thing to ask. "I…I'm not sure. Haven't seen him in years. I don't even know if he's alive."

She had ruined it. They were having a lovely time and she just went and completely ruined it. She was desperately trying to think of something to say and she grabbed the book to show him. "I found this in the library." She said quickly. "It's a book on sign language. I know that you are still struggling with your hearing so I thought that this might be another way for us to communicate."

He didn't say anything. He just stared at her and it was like they were back in the tent again. Natasha cursed at herself for making the whole situation worse than before. She was thinking about all of things she did wrong, and then suddenly he was kissing her and she wasn't really thinking about anything anymore. The book tumbled out of her hands so she could pull him closer to her. She didn't know how long it had been before he pulled himself away. "I'm sorry." He said, breathing heavily. "That wasn't very appropriate. I just…I've wanted to do that for so long."

Natasha didn't know how to respond to that so she just kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her and it felt so good, she never wanted him to stop. But he pulled away again and asked with a smile, "So when should we start with the book?"

"Tomorrow." She responded. They were going to be a little too busy to get to it tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Note:_** **I'm not sure when I will be able to update again because school is trying to kill me. But I promise that I am working on this. Thanks for reading.**

 _Once a month the hospital would receive a large package filled with letters. None of them were ever addressed to Natasha, but her parents were gone so she never expected to get any. She loved handing them out to the patients though. They were always so happy to hear news from their friends and family. After she finished her shift she walked over to see if Betty had received anything. She stopped suddenly when she saw Betty shaking while she was holding a letter._

 _"Betty!" Natasha said when she got closer. "Betty what is it? What's wrong?"_

 _Betty looked at her with tears in her eyes. "It's…it's Bruce. He's not doing well. He's having trouble controlling his anger…and it's been getting worse." She stopped talking and tried to wipe her eyes._

 _"I'm so sorry Betty." Natasha said and pulled her friend into a tight hug. Betty wrapped her arms around Natasha and cried into her shoulder._

 _"I should have never joined the war." Betty cried. "I should have just stayed with him. He needs me and I abandoned him."_

 _"I know that things look bad." Natasha said. "And I know that he needs you. But these men need you too. And I'm sure that Bruce would never say that you abandoned him. He would say that you went to fight, that you went to protect other men so they have the chance of coming back home."_

 _Betty wiped her eyes again, looking better than before. "Thanks Natasha. You always know what to say."_

 _"It's fine. You've just had a long day. I'm sure you'll feel much better tomorrow."_

 _The war had taken its toll on all of them. "But it has to end soon" Natasha thought. "I don't know how much more we can take."_

It was probably the first day Natasha didn't want to go to work. Going to work meant she had to go home and that meant she couldn't spend the whole night with Clint, and she was really looking forward to that. But he was a gentleman and she needed to go home so their night ended. It wasn't all bad though. He was kind enough to walk her back to her apartment and kissed her deeply before he left. She walked back into her room and it felt like her head was spinning. She spent the rest of the night thinking about his kisses and much she wanted to kiss him again.

The next day wasn't particularly eventful. The most exciting thing that had happened was when Betty felt the baby kick and Bruce was beaming. But things started to change at the end of the day. Natasha realized that Bruce had been in his office with a patient for a very long time and she was starting to get worried. She walked over to the room when the door suddenly opened and she was standing face to face with Mr. Pierce. He glared at her for a moment before walked out of the building. Bruce was still in his office but his hands were on the wall and he was shaking violently. Natasha rushed over to him asking him what was wrong.

"GET BETTY!" he practically growled at her. Betty must have heard him because she ran into the room and grabbed her husband, forcing him to look at her.

"Natasha get out of here!" Betty shouted and Natasha nearly ran out of the room she was so scared. What had Pierce said to him? What would happen if Betty couldn't calm him down? There was no way she would be able to stop him. But he seemed to respond to Betty's words and he pulled her into him and hugged her tightly. Natasha slowly walked back into the room while Betty was whispering to him. "It's okay. You're okay. You didn't hurt anyone. Nothing bad happened." She said softly.

"What happened? What did Mr. Pierce say?" Natasha asked quietly.

"He was saying terrible things about you." Bruce said. "He said that you were just some communist and that you couldn't be trusted. Then he told me that I had to fire you to protect this town. And when I refused he started to threaten me and Betty. And I just got angry."

Natasha was furious. This man had been saying terrible things about her and he's never even spoken to her before. And now he was threatening her friends. She needed to clear her head. She needed a drink. She waited until they had closed the office building before she stormed over to Thor's. She sat down at the bar and drank her vodka, trying to calm herself down when she heard someone talking to her.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" She turned her head and saw Clint smiling at her with a beer in his hands.

"Are you drunk Clint?" she asked smiling back at him.

"Yes ma'am." He slurred.

She spent the next hour talking to him. And she had to admit that he was pretty adorable when he was drunk. He always seemed to know how to make her feel better. Even when all he did was make her laugh. It was more than enough. But she needed to go home and so she paid her bill and was getting ready to leave when she saw Clint stumble.

"Do you think you can make it home?" she asked.

"I'll be fine" he said right before he nearly fell over. Natasha sighed and held out her hand.

"Come on, I don't want you passing out in the middle of the street."

She nearly dragged him up to her apartment and was thankful that Mr. Coulson didn't say anything when they walked in. He fell on the bed and then rolled over so he could look up at her. He looked sad all of a sudden. Like he just remembered a bad memory.

"You know I never got the chance to thank you." Clint said softly.

"For dragging you up two flights of stairs?" Natasha teased. "Well, you're welcome."

"No. For saving my life." He said. Natasha was struck by the sudden intimacy as he grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. "I thought I was dead out there and that you were some kind of angel or something."

"Go to sleep Clint." She whispered as she ran her hands through his hair.

"Will you stay with me?" he asked. "I don't wanna be alone."

"Of course I will." She said and leaned down and kissed him gently. She helped in out of his clothes so he was in his undershirt and boxers. Then she changed into a nightdress before she climbed into the bed with him. The bed was a little small, but neither of them really cared. Clint just grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, letting out a shaky breath.

"Clint are you alright?" Natasha asked.

"I am now." He replied. They both fell asleep soon after that.


	6. Chapter 6

_There was so much blood. It was everywhere. On her clothes, on her hands, in her hair. She couldn't stop it, he was going to die and there was nothing she could do. Every time she tried to wrap the wound the blood would just soak through the bandage like it wasn't even there. But she couldn't just give up, so she continued to wrap the wound, even though it was hopeless. She was so focused she barely realized someone was calling her name._

"Tasha! Tasha, wake up!"

Natasha woke up with a jolt, realizing that she was not on the battlefield but in her bed. And Clint was not bleeding out in front of her, he was warm and alive and not covered in blood. Clint sat up on the bed and pulled her with him so that she was practically sitting in his lap. "Are you alright? You were shaking." He said.

"I'm fine." Natasha replied quickly. She placed her hand on his neck and could feel his pulse point, the constant rhythm slowly calming her.

"Bad dream?" he asked. She nodded and he pulled her even closer, wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay, I get them too." She briefly wondered what his nightmares were about. She assumed that they were probably about his time in the war, or maybe they had something to do with his brother. She looked up at him and suddenly kissed him because he was alive and here and she wanted to be with him. He kissed her back, his hands in her hair and moaning softly into her mouth. He dragged his mouth to her neck, placing open-mouth kisses on her soft skin, and his mouth felt like fire. As he continued to kiss her, Natasha saw her clock and realized that she needed to get ready for work.

"Cl-Clint…Clint I have to go." She whispered.

"You have to?" he asked. He looked quite adorable pouting at her.

"We can do something as soon as I am done." She said. "I promise."

* * *

It was incredibly tense in the office that day. Bruce would barely look at her and Natasha was scared that they would get another visit from Mr. Pierce. She didn't want him going after any more of her friends, but she didn't know how to stop him. Bruce finally came up to her at the end of the day.

"Look Natasha," he started. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. I'm so sorry if I scared you in any way."

"Bruce, it's not your fault," Natasha said. "Betty told me about your condition. It's not something that you can control. I don't blame you for anything that happened yesterday."

"It's just…I don't want people to be scared of me. I'm a doctor and I want to help people, not make them run away from me."

"Well you didn't hurt anyone. And if I'm being honest if someone had threatened me like that I probably would have lashed out at him too."

He seemed to smile at that. "Well that's good to know. I need to get going. Betty's waiting for me. See you tomorrow Natasha."

"Goodnight Bruce." She walked back to her apartment thinking about what she should do when Clint comes over.

* * *

"This is amazing!" Clint said. "Now I can insult Tony and he'll have no idea."

"Here, you need to curve your fingers a bit more." Natasha grabbed his hands, trying to make his hand look like the one in the book.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She said, paying more attention to his hands than to his face.

"What happened yesterday? I keep hearing all these rumors about a fight."

"It wasn't a fight." Natasha replied hasher than she intended. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"What happened, Tasha?"

"There's this man named Mr. Pierce." Natasha began. "I never actually talked to him and I barely know him but he seems to hate me. A couple of months ago he basically told Mr. Coulson to kick me out and yesterday he told Bruce to fire me."

"He did what?" Clint nearly shouted.

"Then when Bruce refused he began to threaten him instead. That caused Bruce to go into some kind of rage."

"Did you get hurt?" he asked quickly. His anger had turned quickly into concern.

"No, he didn't hurt anyone. Betty calmed him down and everyone was fine."

"Why would someone want to do that to you?"

"I have no idea," she replied. "He seems to think that I am some sort of communist who wants to destroy America or something stupid like that."

"Well clearly this man is just an idiot and if he ever threatens you again I'll make sure he pays for it." Clint said harshly.

"Clint don't do that I don't want to drag you into this mess." Said Natasha. The last thing she needed was him getting hurt or getting in trouble because of her. She didn't know very much about Mr. Pierce and she would like to keep it that way.

"I don't care, Tasha. You don't deserve to be treated that way."

"Are you always this protective over people?" Natasha asked.

"Only the ones I care about," he said softly, his face turning a little red.

It was really getting late and she knew that he should probably go back home, but she didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay with her, where they could learn sign language and kiss and fall asleep together. She felt like she could forget about everything else, it was just the two of them. So when he was thinking about leaving she found her herself stopping him.

"Wait!" she said suddenly. He stopped and turned around back to her. "You…you could stay here if wanted. It's pretty late and it would take you a while to walk home."

"You want me to stay?" asked Clint. He still seemed a little unsure.

"Yes," Natasha replied. They both changed their clothes and climbed into Natasha's small bed.

"You know if this keeps happening you're gonna have to get a bigger bed," said Clint.

"I'll see if I can look into that," said Natasha. "Goodnight, Clint."

"Goodnight, Tasha."


	7. Chapter 7

**_Note: One day I will be able to update this regularly. But today is not that day._**

 _"Tasha! Tash, wake up!" Betty whispered, shaking her friend. Natasha responded with a groan. This was the first time she had gotten a break in the past couple of days and she intending to sleep for the entirety of it. "Tasha, you don't understand! The war is over!" said Betty._

 _"What?" Natasha suddenly shot out of bed. She needed to make sure that she didn't mishear what Betty had said._

 _"Germany surrendered! It's over Nat. We can go home!" Betty said. She reached out and hugged her friend and Natasha could feel her shaking. Natasha tried to wrap her head around what had just happened. The war was over._

 _The war was over._

The morning had started off very similar to the previous one. Except this time Clint was the one with the nightmares. Natasha could feel how tense he was and she was trying to decide whether to wake him or wait for it to end. When he began to shake and mumble in his sleep she decided that she needed to end this as soon as possible. She ran her fingers through his hair and began to whisper softly.

"It's okay. You're okay." She placed soft kisses all over his face and he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"This is a nice way to wake up," he said, a small smile appearing on his face.

"You okay?" He nodded and kissed her so gently that it took her breath away. It took a while, but eventually they needed to get up and face the world. Also, Betty was having a baby shower and Natasha didn't want to miss that.

The walk from her room to the outside of the building was probably one of the tensest moments Natasha has ever had. Rumors had been flying ever since Bruce and Mr. Pierce had that fight a couple of days ago. It wouldn't have surprise if Pierce had been the one to start all of these rumors. It also probably didn't help that she was a single woman who lives by herself and is now leaving her apartment with another man. She had gotten a few glares from the other residents when they had left the previous morning. But Natasha didn't let them bother her. It didn't looked like Clint cared either. He just wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Once they had gotten outside, she said that she would go see him after the party was over and she was on her way.

It was good to get to hang out with Betty again. The past few days had been tough on the both of them so it was nice that they could just relax and have some fun. I was a very small party with only a few other people but the party was still great and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Bruce had even gone out so he could let the girls have their fun.

"Have you thought of any baby names yet?" Jane asked.

"We've thought of a couple," Betty replied. "But nothing is certain yet."

"Do they all start with the letter B?" Natasha asked.

"No," Betty laughed. "I think there are enough B names in this family."

They spent the rest of the party playing games and talking about everyone's lives. The first game was to guess what day the baby will actually be born on. Most of them guessed that the baby would come on the due date. If the baby was anything like his mother then he would be right on time. Betty laughed and said that he might a little late like his father. Then Betty joked and asked about the due date for Pepper and Tony.

"You're expecting?" Natasha asked.

"Oh God, no." Pepper laughed. "Betty was just making a joke. Honestly, I don't even think I need a child. I feel like Tony fits the role perfectly."

That made all of them women laugh. Mr. Coulson had been right. Tony had been waking her up more and more recently with his "experiments". But they never ended up harming anyone. At least, not yet anyways.

"Two Tony's at the same time," Maria, one of Pepper's friends, said. "I don't think the world is ready for that."

"I don't think the world will ever be ready for that." Pepper responded.

"Well what about you Jane?" Betty asked. "I haven't see you in a while."

"Oh it's been great. Recently we've gotten a bunch of books on space and astrology. It has really been fascinating. I'll have to show them to you sometime."

Natasha had learn that Jane loves talking about outer space. She could go on and on discussing planets and talking about the stars. Natasha never knew very much about her, she would always just be reading books or talking to Thor whenever she went to the library. But it was great to see that she was so passionate about it.

"I'd love to read it." Betty said. "What about you, Natasha? I know things have been hard the past few days."

"Betty I don't want to talk about that right now." Natasha said.

"Wait, what happened?" Pepper asked.

Natasha let out a long sigh. "There has been this man who lives in my apartment and he is convinced that I am some kind of communist spy who is out to sell government secrets or whatever stupid idea he's come up with now."

"Oh my God, that's terrible." Pepper said. "Who is this man?"

"Alexander Pierce." Natasha said. Pepper suddenly leaned back in her chair, like an idea was forming in her head. Natasha wasn't sure what she was thinking, and she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know either.

The rest of the party was great. Natasha loved that she got to meet these people and even befriend them. She had been working at the office so much and dealing with Pierce that she hadn't really been able to meet very many people. She was almost upset when she realized that the party was over and that everyone was starting to head out. She told Betty thank you and gave her a hug before she headed out. The sun was just about to set so Natasha bundled up in her coat and headed off to Clint's farm.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Note: I'm sorry this took so long. I really struggled writing this chapter. Hope you still like it._**

 _The fact that the war had ended never really hit Natasha until she was in England. It kind of felt like a dream, like any minute she was going to wake up and she would have to work her next shift. But the war was over and now she would be able to go back home. She watched as families were reunited, seeing them crying and hugging made her heart swell. A small part of her was hoping that she would see Clint here. They had moved him to a hospital here, maybe he would be going back to the US too. She looked around, hoping she would see his messy hair or his bright eyes._

 _"What are you looking at?" Betty asked, snapping her out of her thoughts._

 _"It's nothing," Natasha said. "I was just thinking."_

 _"Well we need to get going. Our plane is going to leave soon." Betty said._

 _"Alright I'm coming," Natasha took one final look around her before following her friend. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. She was probably never going to see him again. She just hoped that he had survived, that he had made it too the end just like she had._

By the time Natasha arrived at Clint's house, the temperature had dropped so she wrapped her coat around herself to get warmer. She knocked on the door a couple of times, but no one was answering and that made her concerned. She was pretty sure that she told him that she would come over later. Natasha was just about to knock again when she heard a noise from the barn. She began to walk over when she heard it again, a faint whizzing sound. She looked in the doorway and saw Clint standing with his bow, firing arrows at a target on a wall. He hit the center of the target again and again, and Natasha had never seen him so focused before. She took a step inside and he must have seen her shadow because he suddenly turned around and aimed the arrow right at her.

"Tasha?" he asked, bringing the bow down slowly.

"Sorry. I didn't meant to scare you." Natasha said, trying to calm herself down. Her heart was beating rapidly and for moment it did look like he might have shot her accidently. She looked at him and saw that he was shaking. "Come on," she said. "It's getting cold, let's head inside." They both walked quickly back into the house and Natasha was shocked when she looked down and saw that his hand covered in blood.

"Clint, how long were you out there?" she asked.

"I…uh…I'm not sure," he said sheepishly. "I guess I just lost track of time."

"Do you have any bandages around here?" Natasha asked.

"Uh yeah, there in that cabinet." He said and began to walk over there before Natasha stopped him.

"No, I'll get them. You sit down."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once she had all of the supplies, she sat down and began to clean his hand. She cleaned the blood off of his fingers and saw how raw they were, like he had been shooting for hours. "I'm sorry," Clint whispered as she finished wrapping the bandages around his fingers. He was still shaking a little so Natasha moved closer to him.

"For what?" she asked.

"I almost shot you," he said.

"It seemed like you were distracted. Like you were off in your own world," Natasha said. "Is everything alright?"

"It's just…," Clint began, trying to think of the right words. "Sometimes this place feels like a prison. It's just filled with bad memories and I can't ever escape them. Shooting helps clear my head, but I guess I went a little too far this time."

"I know it can be hard to escape the memories sometimes," Natasha said, standing up and walking so that she was standing right in front of him. "But they're all in the past. They can't hurt you now." She placed her hand on his cheek, making sure that he is looking at her. "Just think about right now. It's only you and me."

"Only you and me," he repeated quietly. He stood up suddenly and kissed her with a kind of desperation that she had never felt before. She backed up until she her back hit the wall and she was thankful for the support. She was pretty sure that her legs were going to give out if he kept kissing her like this. His hands were everywhere and she could barely think when his fingers brushed the skin under her blouse. "Do you want this?" he asked, pulling away so he could look at her.

"Yes, yes," she said way too quickly.

"People might say something if they find out," he said.

"People have been saying things since I've arrived here," Natasha said. "I don't care what they say. I care about you."

That seemed to be all he needed to hear. He wrapped his hands around her thighs so he could pick her up and then stumbled into his room. He placed her on his bed and took off his shirt with alarming speed. She had never been able to look at him like this before. She wanted to run her hands and explore every inch, but he seemed to have different plans. He got on the bed, kissing her so that he was practically on top of her. He slowly began to unbutton her blouse, kissing the newly revealed skin.

Once their clothes were finally removed, he slipped his fingers in between her thighs and she thought that she was going to lose it right there. She arched her back into him as in continued to stroke her, until she was writhing underneath him.

"Wait," she gasped, trying to find her voice.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he asked, looking down at her.

"No, I'm fine," she smiled at him. "It's just…do you have a prophylactic?"

He reached around her and pulled a small packet from the bedside drawer, then ripped it open and slid it onto him. He then lowered himself into her and she let out a small moan.

"Oh, you feel so good," he whispered when he began to move. Natasha wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him even closer than before. He was hitting just the right spot and they were both growing more and more frantic and Natasha wasn't sure how much longer she was going to last. Clint seemed to have realized this because he leaned in closer and whispered, "Let go, Tasha. I've got you."

And she did. She let go and it felt amazing. She was pretty sure that she saw stars behind her eyes. It wasn't long until Clint came after her, moaning into her neck and collapsing on top of her. They both took a moment to collect themselves and clean off, before both of them climbed back into his bed. Neither of them said anything, there were really no words to describe what had just happened. Although right before she fell asleep, she thought she heard Clint whisper something to her. But she might have just imagined it.


	9. Chapter 9

_"I love you."_

That night had been replaying in her head for the past week. She couldn't seem to get those words out of her head, no matter what she did. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that those were the words Clint had said that night. And the more she thought about that, the more she realized that she loved him too. Natasha had no idea what to do. She desperately wanted to talk to him, but work had been getting busier lately. And Tony had been asking Clint to help him with some of his inventions, so they really never had the chance to talk about it yet.

The pregnancy was starting to take its toll on Betty. She tried to convince both Natasha and Bruce that she was fine, but she was clearly exhausted. Natasha knew how stubborn Betty could be sometimes, but finally they were able to convince her to take a few days off. It made things harder since they were now a nurse short, but Natasha knew that it would be worth it once the baby was finally born.

One day towards the end of her shift, Natasha saw that Pepper had come in for a checkup. When she came out of the examination room, she walked over to Natasha.

"Everything's good?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, everything is fine, thank you." Pepper said. "I was wondering if you would like to come over sometime later today."

"Oh, alright." Natasha said, a little confused. "I can come over in about an hour."

"I'll see you then," Pepper said. Natasha stood there for a moment, trying to think of why Pepper wanted to meet with her so suddenly. But then she heard Bruce call her name and she ran to go see what the new problem was this time. She hoped that Betty was feeling better.

* * *

Natasha had never been to Pepper and Tony's house before. She had seen it when she went to Tony's shop, but she never paid very much attention to it. It looked like a very nice house, but she wasn't prepared for what was inside. There were tons of inventions in the house. All kinds of machines that Natasha had never seen before. She wondered how much time Tony had spent down here working on all this. Pepper must have seen how shocked she was because she simply said, "He likes to build things. All kinds of weird machines that sound crazy and they probably shouldn't have been made in the first place. But it calms him down. Especially on bad nights."

Natasha knew what she meant. They all had their own ways of dealing with the war. She and Betty would throw themselves into their work. Clint would shoot arrows until his hand was bleeding. She wasn't going to judge him on how he gets through the night.

"Well, it seems like he puts a lot of work into it," Natasha said.

"Yes, he does," Pepper said with a small smile. They both heard the front door open and saw Tony and Clint both walk inside.

"Hey Pepper," Tony said when he saw her.

"Hello Tony," she replied. "Blow anything up today?"

"Nope!" he said with a large grin on his face.

"Oh Clint, come over here, you'll want to hear this too," Pepper said.

"Hear what?" Natasha asked.

"The reason why I wanted to invite you over is that I have some good news for you," Pepper said.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have to worry about Mr. Pierce anymore," said Pepper.

"What?" Natasha asked, getting more and more confused.

"After you told me about the problems you were having with him and after Clint told Tony about what had happened, I decided to do a little research." Pepper said.

"It's a good thing too," Tony said behind them. "Because he wouldn't shut up about it either."

"Tony, be nice."

"I'll try my best, dear."

"Anyway," Pepper continued, "I used to live in New York and worked with some big businesses. It was my job to cover up anything that made my company look bad and find anything that made the other companies worse. So I'm very good at finding information on people. Especially on things that they don't want people to know. And it turns out that Mr. Pierce was a Nazi supporter during the 1930s."

"What?" Clint said. Natasha simply stared at Pepper, wanting to hear more of the story.

"There were some people who sided with Germany in the beginning," Pepper said. "This was before Pearl Harbor and some wanted the US to support the Germans since-"

"They were enemies with Russia." Natasha finished.

"Exactly."

"So what exactly did you do?" Clint asked.

"Well I wrote a couple of letters and once I got what I needed I told him that he needed to find a new town to stay in or everyone will learn about his secret. He should be gone in the next few weeks."

"Pepper, I don't know what to say," Natasha began.

"You don't have to say anything. I wouldn't want to be forced to leave because some crazy old man was spreading rumors. Also I think Clint might go crazy if you did leave."

Natasha smiled and grabbed Clint's hand. "I don't plan on leaving anytime soon." She said.

"Well that's good," Pepper said. "You two go enjoy yourselves. I have to go make sure Tony doesn't destroy anything else."

"I heard that!"

* * *

Natasha walked through the small town with Clint and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had spent so long being judged and ridiculed for where she was from and now she had people who cared about her. People who were willing to fight for her and defend her against the ignorant. And that that thought made her heart swell.

"So have you eaten yet?" Clint asked. "I'm starving. We could go get something to eat and then maybe-"

"I love you," she blurted out before she could really think about it. Clint suddenly stopped walking and stared at her. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he hadn't said those words to her that night. She was terrified that she had just ruined everything when he pulled her in close and kissed her with such passion that it took her breath away.

"I love you too," he whispered before kissing her again. They stood out in the cold for a long time just holding each other and Natasha realized that she planned on staying in this small town for a very long time.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Note: *throws confetti* I finally finished! Yay! Thanks for sticking with it!**_

"Clint, hurry up! We're going to be late!" Natasha said as she nearly ran out the door.

"Are you sure that visiting them right now is going to be a good time?" Clint asked when he caught up to her. "I mean she just had the baby."

"I promised Betty that we would visit her today. You can play with your toy when we head back home." Natasha said.

"My bow's not a toy," Clint mumbled.

Things had been surprisingly peaceful recently. Pierce was gone and Natasha finally felt like she could move on with her life. She was no longer the Russian or the communist or the nurse from the war, she was just Natasha and that thought made her smile.

She had also grown closer to Clint too. She had been spending so much time at his farm that she rarely went back to her apartment anymore. She knew that she had to be careful. If Tony ever realized how much she was really there, she would never hear the end of it. But she had grown attached to the farm. It was much larger than her apartment and it was a peaceful place for her.

When they had arrived at Bruce and Betty's house, Natasha quickly knocked on the door. Bruce opened it and he looked like a mess. His hair was sticking in different directions and he looked exhausted. But he had a huge smile on his face when he saw both of them.

"We were starting to wonder when you two would show up," Bruce said.

"Has everything been alright?" Natasha said.

"Yeah, Betty's exhausted though," Bruce said. "The labor was pretty hard on her."

"Natasha is that you?" Betty said from the other room. Natasha walked into the room and saw Betty lying on a bed with a little bundle in her arms. Natasha sat down on the side of the bed so that she could give her friend a hug. "Natasha, I would like to introduce you to Henry." Betty said as Natasha leaned over to get a better look.

Henry Banner was a tiny little thing. He had dark hair and dark eyes and was looking around like he wanted to see everything that the world had to offer. "Would you like to hold him?" Betty asked.

"Oh, I don't think-"

"Natasha, come her and hold your godson!" Betty said sternly.

"My what?" Natasha asked, shocked by her friend's statement.

"Bruce and I talked about it. There's no one else I trust more than you," Betty said. "We've been thought so much together, Natasha. You're so much more than just my friend. You're practically my sister."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Just hold him." Betty said, placing the bundle into Natasha's arms.

Natasha just stood there for a moment just holding the baby. He was just so small that she was scared that she was going to hurt him. But Henry didn't seem to mind one bit. He reached his little fingers out and tried to touch her hair and he let out the most adorable giggle she's ever heard.

"Look, you're a natural," Bruce said. Natasha turned her head and saw Bruce and Clint standing in the doorway. Clint was looking at her in a way she had never seen before. It was almost like awe. She suddenly had an image in her head of a little baby with blue eyes and red hair and she felt her throat close up. She had never really thought about having kids before. There had been no time to really think about it when she was in nursing school. And once she joined the war, kids were the last thing on her mind. But now, she didn't really mind the thought of it. She handed Henry to Clint and a smile erupted onto his face. He held the baby in his arms, making silly faces and Henry seemed to love it.

They spent the next hour just talking to each other. Learning about all the new things that parenthood brought. Natasha would smile every time she would talk about Henry. The last time she had seen Betty this happy was when they learned that Germany had surrendered and that they could go home. By the time they had left, it was starting to get dark and Natasha's mind was filled with tiny fingers and small giggles.

The rest of the evening had been uneventful. They had dinner and Natasha was cleaning up the dishes when she heard something behind her. She turned and could see Clint on the back porch, pacing back and forth and running his hair through his fingers. He always did that when he was nervous about something. Natasha walked over and opened the door. Clint stopped and looked at her as she closed the door behind her.

"Everything alright?" she asked. He nodded quickly and walked over to her, kissing her gently.

"There's something that I want to do, but I have no idea how to do it. I don't even know if I can," Clint said quietly.

"Well, why don't you take it one step at a time," Natasha said. "What's the very first thing you have to do?"

Clint took a deep breath. "I guess it would be this," he said as he slowly lowered his knee to the ground.

"Clint," Natasha said. She felt like he couldn't speak.

"I know that I don't have a lot to offer," he began. "I'm not rich or a genius. I don't have a very big, fancy house or anything. But it's just…you're so…" He stopped, desperately trying to find the right words but failing miserably. "I'm doing this all wrong," he said, mostly to himself.

"No you're not," Natasha said, finally finding her voice again. She placed her hand on his cheek and made sure that he was looking right at her. "Keep going," she said quietly. Clint nodded and continued his speech.

"You have made me happier than I ever thought I could be," he said. "You came into my life and you have made it so much better. I already lost you once and I never want to go through that again. So, will you marry me, Tasha?" He puts in his hand into his pocket and pulls out a ring.

"Yes," Natasha said with a large smile on her face. "Yes, of course I will."

Clint slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up, pulling her into him. She doesn't know exactly how long they stand out there just holding each other. She's begins to think about everything that has happened. She thinks about how happy he has made her and that he has made her life better too. She knows that it might get hard sometimes and that there will be other people like Pierce, but she knows that she can get through it. She survived a war, she can survive anything.


End file.
